In my numerous blog posts about Exploring Conic Sections with The Geometer's Sketchpad, I've featured an assortment of hands-on and virtual models for drawing conic sections, ranging from pins and string to paper folding to 17th-century linkages. But in order for students to understand why any of these approaches work, they … Continue Reading ››
Tag Archives: conic sections
The Cowgirl Problem
In a previous post, I described two different approaches to solving the Burning Tent optimization problem. Now I'd like to offer a related problem that I assigned many years ago to my pre-service mathematics teachers at New York University.
A cowgirl wants to give her horse some food and … Continue Reading ››
Race to the Burning Tent
How can you identify a lover of math? Casually mention a burning tent and notice if her first thought is how to minimize her path to a river and then to the tent to douse the flames. Here is a full statement of this classic geometry problem:
Ah, the great … Continue Reading ››
Pirate Treasure Awaits
In a 2018 blog post, I presented George Gamow's pirate treasure problem, which can neatly be solved by capitalizing on the geometry of complex numbers. There's more treasure to be had, however, so get ready for another adventure!
An island contains a giant boulder, a lighthouse, a cave, and a jail. Among … Continue Reading ››